ContextPeople with mental disorders can acquire long-term disabilities, which could impair their functioning and quality of life (QoL), requiring permanent care and social support. Systematic data on QoL and functioning, which could support a better management of these people, were not available.ObjectiveTo analyze the QoL, level of functioning and their association with sociodemographic and clinical factors of people with mental disorders who underwent deinstitutionalization using assisted living facilities.MethodsA Cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2018 and July 2019, through interviews using (...) the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) to determine the QoL scores, and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) to determine the level of functioning. All adults (≥18 years old) with mental disorders, who underwent deinstitutionalization, users of assisted living facilities and assisted by the Psychosocial Assistance Centers III, in a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were selected. For statistical analysis of the associated factors, Student’st-test was used for dichotomous variables and ANOVA for polynomial variables. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to measure the association between QoL and functioning scores.ResultsOut of 359 people who underwent deinstitutionalization with mental disorders, 147 met the eligibility criteria. The mean total score for the WHOQOL-BREF was 66.5 ± 13.4 and the mean score for WHODAS 2.0 was 10.4 ± 7.6. An association was found between people who were studying (n= 65.8; 95%CI, 63.5–68.1vs. n= 73.9; 95%CI, 67.5–80.3;p= 0.04) and better WHOQOL-BREF QoL scores or WHODAS 2.0 levels of functioning (n= 10.9; 95%CI, 9.6–12.2vs. n= 5.1; 95%CI, 2.5–7.7;p= 0.01). A weak negative correlation (r= 0.41) emerged between higher QoL scores and functioning improvement.ConclusionThis study indicates that the QoL of the sample is associated by their functioning levels, which, in turn, may reflect on their social interactions. Public policies that favor interventions increasing socialization of this population can result in better health outcomes. The QoL and functioning scores provide valuable insights to develop public policies more suited to this population profile. (shrink)

Competing perspectives on the nature of emotion are illustrated with latent and emergent variable models. Latent variable models draw from classical test theory, assuming that the measured indicators of emotion covary by virtue of some common executive, organizing neural circuit or network in the brain. By contrast, emergent variable models draw from a theory-driven, operational definition tradition, positing that emotions do not cause, but rather are caused by, the measured indicators of emotion, assuming no executive neural circuit or network, and (...) requiring no covariation among indicators. I suggest that the emergent variable model may be more compatible with the extant literature on the nature of emotion, especially in the age of affective neuroscience. (shrink)

Next SectionWhilst there has been considerable debate about the fit between moral theory and moral reasoning in everyday life, the way in which moral problems are defined has rarely been questioned. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 15 general practitioners (GPs) in South Australia to argue that the way in which the bioethics literature defines an ethical dilemma captures only some of the range of lay views about the nature of ethical problems. The bioethics literature has (...) defined ethical dilemmas in terms of conflict and choice between values, beliefs and options for action. While some of the views of some of the GPs in this study about the nature of their ethical dilemmas certainly accorded with this definition, other explanations of the ethical nature of their problems revolved around the publicity associated with the issues they were discussing, concern about their relationships with patients, and anxiety about threats to their integrity and reputation. The variety of views about what makes a problem a moral problem indicates that the moral domain is perhaps wider and richer than mainstream bioethics would generally allow. (shrink)

We address concerns raised by Maul (2012) regarding the validity of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). We respond to requests for clarifications of our model, and explain why the MSCEIT’s scoring methods stand up to scrutiny and why many reported reliabilities of the MSCEIT may be underestimates, using reanalyses of the test’s standardization sample of N = 5,000 to illustrate our point. We also organize findings from four recent articles that provide evidence for the MSCEIT’s validity based on (...) its relations with other tests. (shrink)

Para Kant, humanidade signi!ca o universal sentimento de participação e a faculdade de comunicação íntima e universal, sendo o que distingue o homem do animal. Dessa formulação, surge o conceito de sociabilidade legal, pelo qual um povo constitui uma coletividade duradoura, capaz de conciliar liberdade, igualdade e coação. Rohden sustentou que esse conceito, apesar de se relacionar com o contexto estético, não se restringiria a este, implicando uma compreensão ampliada do conceito de humanidade. A partir de tal hipótese, poder-se-ia entender (...) também a sociabilidade legal como um pré-requisito para uma constituição política, no sentido de uma capacidade e disposição para se deixar guiar por princípios do direito. Nesse sentido, o direito constituir-se-ia na forma da sociabilidade legal e na possibilidade de expressá-la concretamente. O objetivo deste texto é examinar em que sentido essa interpretação do conceito de sociabilidade legal sugerida por Rohden pode ou não corresponder ao texto kantiano. (shrink)

In this paper we propose a narrative account for the origin of language. Such a proposal is based on two assumptions. The first is conceptual and concerns the idea that the distinctive feature of human language (what sets it apart from other forms of animal communication) has to be traced to its inherently narrative character. The second assumption is methodological and connected to the idea that the study of language origin is closely related to the analysis of the cognitive systems (...) at the base of narrative. Research on narrative abilities of subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder has shown that storytelling requires the capability to link events causally connected to one another, and especially events which are remote from one another on the temporal axis of a story. Based on this research, we hypothesize that an important cognitive device involved in narrative is Mental Time Travel (MTT), that is, the system that allows humans to project themselves into the past and future. We show that such a system is present (to a greater or lesser extent) even in non-human animals. By virtue of this, we argue that MTT is independent of language and that it may be considered a cognitive precursor for the origin of language. Specifically, we propose that MTT allowed our ancestors to develop a form of pantomimic communication that might be considered as the foundation of the narrative origin of language. (shrink)

Infantile physical morphology—marked by its “cuteness”—is thought to be a potent elicitor of caregiving, yet little is known about how cuteness may shape immediate behavior. To examine the function of cuteness and its role in caregiving, the authors tested whether perceiving cuteness can enhance behavioral carefulness, which would facilitate caring for a small, delicate child. In 2 experiments, viewing very cute images (puppies and kittens)—as opposed to slightly cute images (dogs and cats)—led to superior performance on a subsequent fine-motor dexterity (...) task (the children’s game “Operation”). This suggests that the human sensitivity to those possessing cute features may be an adaptation that facilitates caring.. (shrink)

According to an influential view, the detection of action possibilities and the selection of a plan for action are two segregated steps throughout the processing of visual information. This classical approach is committed with the assumption that two independent types of processing underlie visual perception: the semantic one, which is at the service of the identification of visually presented objects, and the pragmatic one which serves the execution of actions directed to specific parts of the same objects. However, as our (...) knowledge of vision has improved over the years, this established view has turned out to be only an approximation. This paper sets out the details of a non-modularist approach to visual perception of action possibilities and explains how to resist the lure of cognitive segregation. (shrink)

According to a shared functionalist view in philosophy of mind, a cognitive system, and cognitive function thereof, is based on the components of the organism it is realized by which, indeed, play a causal role in regulating our cognitive processes. This led philosophers to suggest also that, thus, cognition could be seen as an extended process, whose vehicle can extend not only outside the brain but also beyond bodily boundaries, on different kinds of devices. This is what we call the (...) ‘Externally Extended Cognition Thesis.’ This notion has generated a lively debate. Here, we offer a novel notion of extended cognition, according to which cognition can be seen as being realized outside the brain, but still inside the body. This is what we call the ‘Internally Extended Cognition Thesis’. Not only our thesis but also our approach while defending it is innovative. The argument we offer is supported by recent empirical findings in the life sciences and biomedicine, which suggest that the gut microbiota’s activity has a functional role in regulating our cognitive processes and behaviors. In doing so, we embrace the holobiont-perspective, according to which it is possible to claim that what we call biological individuals are not autonomous entities with clear boundaries, but should rather be seen as networks of multiple interactions among species. Thus, by analyzing different sets of evidence in light of the holobiont-perspective, we argue that the gut microbiota could be seen as a component of our organism. On the basis of the philosophical interpretation of this evidence, however, we also suggest that there are no impediments standing the way of considering the gut microbiota also as a functional extension of our cognitive system. If so, this amounts to extending cognition out of ‘our skull’, though still confining it within ‘our body’: to ‘our gut’. This is an instance of the ‘Internally Extended Cognition Thesis,’ whose benefits for an original theory of extended cognition are discussed. (shrink)

As proposed for the emergence of modern languages, we argue that modern uses of languages (pragmatics) also evolved gradually in our species under the effects of human self‐domestication, with three key aspects involved in a complex feedback loop: (a) a reduction in reactive aggression, (b) the sophistication of language structure (with emerging grammars initially facilitating the transition from physical aggression to verbal aggression); and (c) the potentiation of pragmatic principles governing conversation, including, but not limited to, turn‐taking and inferential abilities. (...) Our core hypothesis is that the reduction in reactive aggression, one of the key factors in self‐domestication processes, enabled us to fully exploit our cognitive and interactional potential as applied to linguistic exchanges, and ultimately to evolve a specific form of communication governed by persuasive reciprocity—a trait of human conversation characterized by both competition and cooperation. In turn, both early crude forms of language, well suited for verbal aggression/insult, and later more sophisticated forms of language, well suited for persuasive reciprocity, significantly contributed to the resolution and reduction of (physical) aggression, thus having a return effect on the self‐domestication processes. Supporting evidence for our proposal, as well as grounds for further testing, comes mainly from the consideration of cognitive disorders, which typically simultaneously present abnormal features of self‐domestication (including aggressive behavior) and problems with pragmatics and social functioning. While various approaches to language evolution typically reduce it to a single factor, our approach considers language evolution as a multifactorial process, with each player acting upon the other, engaging in an intense mutually reinforcing feedback loop. Moreover, we see language evolution as a gradual process, continuous with the pre‐linguistic cognitive abilities, which were engaged in a positive feedback loop with linguistic innovations, and where gene‐culture co‐evolution and cultural niche construction were the main driving forces. (shrink)

O presente artigo versa sobre Educação a Distância na sociedade da informação e destaca o novo enfoque da Educação Superior a Distância voltada à formação de gestores públicos no cenário brasileiro. Em primeira instância, pretende-se, de maneira breve, fazer uma reconstrução da história da Educação a Distância no País e sua trajetória no Ensino Superior brasileiro. O novo século está marcado por intensas transformações nas relações sociais, políticas, econômicas, pelo acelerado desenvolvimento tecnológico e eletrônico. Acredita-se que hoje estamos nos primórdios (...) da era digital, como evolução da era industrial marcada pelas tecnologias digitais, que revolucionam a percepção do e a atuação humana sobre o mundo. Nesse sentido, destacam-se os cursos de Educação Superior a Distância, direcionados à formação de gestores públicos no Brasil. Vale destacar que o ensino da tecnologia da informação, assim como ferramentas de sistemas de informação, é fundamental para a formação de administradores públicos na atualidade, e a Educação a Distância está proporcionando a democratização do conhecimento no Brasil. A metodologia utilizada é bibliográfica e documental.This article focuses on distance education in the information society and highlights the new approach to distance higher education dedicated to the training of public managers in the Brazilian scene. The new century is marked by deep transformations in social relations, political, economic, and technological development accelerated by mail. It is believed that today we are at the dawn of the digital age, as evolution of the industrial era marked by digital technologies that revolutionize the perception and human performance on the world. It is the change from the industrial to the digital culture and the predominance of plurals and virtual spaces. In this sense, we highlight the courses of distance higher education directed to the training of public managers in Brasil. Vale emphasize the teaching of information technology, as well as tools for information systems are essential for training public administrators in the news and education the distance is providing the democratization of knowledge in Brazil. Tem methodology used is literature and documents. (shrink)

This paper takes a virtuist approach to medical ethics to explore, from an empirical angle, ideas about settled ways of living a good life. Qualitative research methods were used to analyse the ways in which a group of 15 general practitioners articulated notions of good doctoring and the virtues in their work. I argue that the GPs, whose talk is analysed here, defined good general practice in terms of the ideals of accessibility, comprehensiveness, and continuity. They regarded these ideals significant (...) both for the way they dealt with morally problematic situations and for how they conducted their professional lives more generally. In addition, I argue that the GPs who articulated these ideals most clearly were able to, in part, because they shared the experience of working in rural areas. This experience helped them to develop an understanding of the nature of general practice that their urban colleagues were less able to draw on. In that sense, the structural and organisational framework of general practice in rural areas provided the context for their understanding of ideals in general practice. (shrink)

In the 16th century Bruno asserted that the earth revolves around the sun. This notion violated the Catholic Church's teaching that the earth was the center of the universe, and his suggestion proved he was a heretic. He was promptly burned at the stake. One hundred years later Galileo said the same thing, and provided evidence. He was forced to recant his views, but he gave the world telescopes so that people could learn for themselves. Today, his assertion is held (...) to be fact with little excitement. Many academics live with a myth of protection; that the pursuit of science, conducted ethically and with methodological rigor, is protected from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Jim Coan's perspective on his experience while an undergraduate student at the University of Washington is important because it sheds light on an unsettling reality; Scientists pursuing unpopular science are no more shielded from attack from scientists and academicians than anyone else. It is particularly worth noting how unpopular science can be attacked in the name of ethics. Although we may be no more enthusiastic about the specific content of the findings than others, ethical academicians and scientists defend unpopular scientific endeavors from attacks leveled on ethical grounds. (shrink)

In the 16th century Bruno asserted that the earth revolves around the sun. This notion violated the Catholic Church's teaching that the earth was the center of the universe, and his suggestion proved he was a heretic. He was promptly burned at the stake. One hundred years later Galileo said the same thing, and provided evidence. He was forced to recant his views, but he gave the world telescopes so that people could learn for themselves. Today, his assertion is held (...) to be fact with little excitement. Many academics live with a myth of protection; that the pursuit of science, conducted ethically and with methodological rigor, is protected from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Jim Coan's perspective on his experience while an undergraduate student at the University of Washington is important because it sheds light on an unsettling reality; Scientists pursuing unpopular science are no more shielded from attack from scientists and academicians than anyone else. It is particularly worth noting how unpopular science can be attacked in the name of ethics. Although we may be no more enthusiastic about the specific content of the findings than others, ethical academicians and scientists defend unpopular scientific endeavors from attacks leveled on ethical grounds. (shrink)

In this article I respond to commentaries of my review of latent versus emergent variable models of emotion. I note that Ross Buck’s view of emotion as stated in his commentary largely endorses an emergent variable model. Drawing from Dynamical Systems Theory, Camras frames the emergent variable model as softly-assembled attractor states. This implies that emotions are “fuzzy sets” of indicators that vary in the degree to which they indicate an emergent emotional state. Calvo offers affective computing as a method (...) of evaluating indicators according to their incremental contribution to predicting human emotional responses. This innovative perspective holds a great deal of promise. Ultimately, I hope that this discussion has contributed to the field's understanding of emotion and emotional processes. (shrink)

Cet ouvrage est un bel hommage à une chercheure incarnant le dialogue entre terrains, actions et analyses. Ancienne présidente de l’Association belge de Science politique-Communauté française et directrice du Centre d’études latino-américaines de l’Institut de Sociologie, Bérengère Marques-Pereira, professeure à l’Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), est depuis 2012 présidente de l’Association d’éducation populaire, l’Assemblée des femmes. Les quinze chapitres qui composent cet ouvrage s’insc...

Le mouvement de réappropriation des espaces physiques et virtuels de parole pour dénoncer les injustices et ceux qui les commettent a pris des formes multiples : de l’occupation de places publiques à la libération de la parole contre les violences systémiques, sexistes et racistes en particulier, via des mouvements comme #MeToo et #OnVeutRespirer. Les féminismes contemporains s’inscrivent ainsi dans un contexte de mobilisation caractérisé par la défiance vis-à-vis d’une démocratie représentative perçue comme confisquée par les élites et par un horizon (...) de « convergence des luttes » ne recomposant pas l’hégémonie d’un critère ou d’une idéologie. Comment, au sein de la société française contemporaine, l’entrecroisement des urgences écologique, sociale et sanitaire questionne-t-il le rapport à l’engagement, en particulier féministe? Cette interrogation est appréhendée à partir d’une enquête qualitative, menée de juillet 2019 à août 2020, auprès de plus de 120 responsables associatifs féministes, anti-racistes, écologistes, antispécistes, pour la justice sociale et/ou de lutte contre la pauvreté, mais aussi d’activistes avec des affiliations plurielles et fluides. Après avoir abordé la manière dont la question du « faire commun » se pose à l’ère de la Covid-19 et des controverses autour de la « cancel culture », nous examinerons comment les féminismes contemporains sont mis à l’épreuve par l’horizon d’une émancipation partagée dans une interdépendance apaisée. (shrink)

Este trabalho se refere a um relato de experiência sobre a concepção do docente da educação básica a respeito da existência do bullying no ambiente escolar, especialmente, no que concerne ao aluno em situação de inclusão. Para isso, foram realizadas seis questões a um(a) professor(a) de Língua Portuguesa de uma escola pública municipal de Campo Grande-MS, sendo uma, exclusivamente, sobre a ocorrência de bullying contra aluno em situação de inclusão.

Empathy is the combined ability to interpret the emotional states of others and experience resultant, related emotions. The relation between prefrontal electroencephalographic asymmetry and emotion in children is well known. The association between positive emotion (assessed via parent report), empathy (measured via observation), and second-by-second brain electrical activity (recorded during a pleasurable task) was investigated using a sample of one hundred twenty-eight 6- to 10-year-old children. Contentment related to increasing left frontopolar activation (p < .05). Empathic concern and positive empathy (...) related to increasing right frontopolar activation (ps < .05). A second form of positive empathy related to increasing left dorsolateral activation (p < .05). This suggests that positive affect and (negative and positive) empathy both relate to changes in prefrontal activity during a pleasurable task. (shrink)

Mathematical models can be profitably used to establish whether our perception of the external world is accurate. Donald Hoffman and his collaborators have developed a promising mathematical framework within which this question can be addressed and which is based on an exhaustive taxonomy of the different possible relations between perceptual representations and the external world. After reformulating their framework by means of an improved formal system, we discuss their application of evolutionary game theory, which appears to show that an essentially (...) anti-realistic perceptual strategy would in the long run biologically outcompete its rivals. We argue that their model does not take the crucial biological significance of environmental changes into due consideration and propose alternative models which do. We conclude that a partially realistic representation would be favoured in our models. (shrink)

High-quality social relationships predict a range of positive health outcomes, but no broadly accepted theory can explain the mechanisms of action in this area. The central argument of this article is that affective science can provide keys for integrating the diverse array of theoretical models concerning relationships and health. From nine prominent theories, we cull four components of relational affect that link social resources to health-related outcomes. This component model holds promise for integrating research from the different theoretical perspectives and (...) for generating new, mechanistic questions about the connection between relationships and health. The article closes by outlining three empirical study ideas that illustrate ways in which the different components can be studied together in the context of mechanism-focused research. (shrink)

The concept of noncombatant immunity prohibits the intentional targeting of noncombatants. The availability of nonlethal weapons (NLW) may weaken this prohibition, especially since using NLWs against noncombatants may, in some cases, actually save the noncombatants' lives. Given the advancement of NLWs, I argue that their probable appearance on the battlefield demands close scrutiny due to the moral problems associated with their use. In this paper, I examine four distinct cases and determine whether the use of NLWs is morally permissible. While (...) it seems that the reduced harm caused by NLWs makes their use more acceptable, adhering to noncombatant immunity requires more than not killing noncombatants. It also requires that military forces treat noncombatants a certain way. In the cases I present, to use NLWs against noncombatants treats them as combatants and coerces them to do something against their will. While a consequentialist foundation for noncombatant immunity may permit this action, a rights-based concept of noncombatant immunity does not. I contend that only a rights-based concept of noncombatant immunity is viable, and that the availability of NLWs should not significantly alter the prohibitions prescribed by noncombatant immunity. (shrink)

The commentaries by Rimé and Scherer underscore and extend many of the central themes discussed in our target article. This response filters the commentaries through the lens of our review article and highlights the core idea that relationships provide a vital context for the types of emotional responding outlined in the commentaries, including the social sharing of emotion as well as the link between emotional competence and physical health.

Je crois qu'il est utile, avant de passer à une étude historique des théories de l'évolution, de préciser quelques notions de sémantique. Aujourd'hui, on extend par « théorie scientifique » dans le domaine des sciences naturelles une explication soit d'une structure, soit d'un mécanisme, d'un lien causal, présentant un caractère plus ou moins hypothétique mais de toute façon basée sur les faits et vérifiée par eux. Or, la première grande théorie de l'évolution biologique, celle de Lamarck, se veut expérimentale mais (...) est en réalité beaucoup plus spéculative qu'expérimentée. Et pourtant cette explication lamarckienne est une des pièces les plus importantes de l'histoire de la théorie de l'évolution et ne saurait être négligée dans notre étude. Je n'ai pas l'intention de faire ici le procès de la valeur d'une théorie scientifique biologique mais je peux simplement souligner qu'il m'apparaît nécessaire d'élargir pour les besoins de la présente analyse la signification actuelle du terme « théorie », de restreindre les exigences de rigueur interne d'une démonstration et de savoir accepter à l'occasion ce qui—en regard de l'usage actuel du terme—ne peut être considéré que comme une intuition ou même une idée assez vague et imprécise. (shrink)

In the first part of my analysis, I wish briefly to clarify the different modes of relation found in the living being, and point out the multiplicity of disciplines in which biologists use (explicitly or implicitly) the notion of laws. In the second part, I shall analyse the notion of universal laws in biology and examine successively: (1) accidental generalizations; (2) non-causal biological correlations; (3) the meaning of 'necessity' in these correlations; and (4) causal connections. Finally, in the third part, (...) I shall examine statistical laws and probabilistic laws in biology, in particular: (1) chance in biology; (2) probabilistic theories; and (3) relations between logical probability and statistical probability. (shrink)

The first aim of this article is to show the necessity of approaching differently the question of the origin of the hypothesis as pertaining to a purely deductive science or to an experimental one, such as biology. The paper also analyzes the rôle played by the hypothesis in: 1) the formation of definitions; 2) the establishment of laws; 3) explanations. It shows that in 1) and 2) the hypothetical character is relevant both to the amplifying induction and to the still (...) incomplete state of our biological knowledge. Finally, it distinguishes between the two different processes used in the hypothetico-deduction depending on the possibility - or impossibility - to link the phenomena to be explained to some known principles. (shrink)